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SALT LAKE CITY — A former tire store employee who allegedly sold a customer's Hummer for $1,000 is due back in court this week.
Travis Jon Loveland, 28, of Price, is charged in Carbon County's 7th District Court with theft, a second-degree felony.
The incident began in January when a Washington state resident was driving back to Washington from Texas in his 2008 Hummer H3 and experienced mechanical problems near Price, according to a search warrant affidavit.
"(The owner) left the Hummer with Big O Tires in Price for repair," the warrant states. "By late January, the Hummer repairs had been completed and paid for. However, due to bad weather and a difficult work schedule, (the owner) was unable to return to Big O to retrieve the Hummer."
The vehicle sat on the store's property for four months.
On April 4, the mother of the Hummer owner arrived in Price to claim the vehicle, only to find it had been stolen during the night, according to a probable cause affidavit filed against Loveland in 7th District Court.
Based on surveillance video from the tire store and another nearby business, investigators came up with the name of Travis Martin Jordan, 33, of Price. Police went to his residence and found the Hummer, the charges state.
Jordan was handcuffed and taken to police headquarters for questioning. He told detectives that he had gone to Big O to purchase tires, when Loveland, an employee, asked if he was interested in buying a Hummer, the charges state. Loveland claimed "the owner had been deported and the second owner just wanted to sell it. Travis Jordan said the price was extremely low and couldn’t believe someone would sell the Hummer for such a small amount," the affidavit states.
Jordan said after the business had closed, he met with Loveland and another man claiming to be the owner of the Hummer and paid $1,000 for the vehicle, according to charging documents.
"Travis Jordan was advised although his story may be somewhat accurate, any reasonable person would know that the circumstances regarding the sale and pick up of this Hummer were suspicious," police wrote in their affidavit. "Travis Jordan was very nervous throughout my contact with him," at one point vomiting in the patrol car. "Travis Jordan explained he was throwing up because he was extremely nervous, had high anxiety, and not wanting to go back to prison."
Jordan was also charged with theft, a second-degree felony.
When Loveland was questioned by police on April 6, he claimed it was Jordan who initiated the talk about purchasing the Hummer, the affidavit states, and also offered marijuana in exchange for used tires.
Both men are scheduled to be back in court on Friday.
